Thanksgiving 2011

A little humor is just what the good doctor ordered today, 'cause I really need something to help me decompress. For your viewing pleasure, a dopey video featuring yours truly, taken at my brother's house in Thomaston, CT on Thanksgiving day.

Furlough Weekend (5)

After an unfortunate hiatus, due mostly to this, I now present to you the fifth and final post of my Furlough Weekend. Considering how cold its starting to become in certain sections in the U.S, as well as the mighty snow dump being foisted on the general public in the U.K., I figured everyone appreciated the summer season in which these series of photos were taken. And don't be concerned with the summer ending here at Shooting Suburbia because next week's series of post pick up where this one ends, as our annual Mill Pond Extravaganza will be in full swing next week. I guarantee that you'll be sweating up a storm, in spite of the lo double digit weather that you're currently suffering through.

When I got back to work on Tuesday (that would be July 6th peoples), I had my camera with me, simply because I had a few pictures left and I figured work would be a good place as any to waste them. So here are five silly pictures to hopefully brighten your day. Picture number one features a few of my non-human friends, because they're the only ones who never give me grief. The line up that you see there is almost the same now, with the only exceptions being that the teddy bear is normally on the extreme left of the window sill (click here for what my cube usually looks like), and the raccoon being directly behind the chair. The other items, specifically the card and the promo for my chapbook are still there as well.

One of the unique characters that calls my cubicle "home" is Mr. Sunshine. Mr. Sunshine is quite the versatile character. For instance, Mr. Sunshine's favorite bud is some strange feller who goes by the name of Georgie. And if you ask him if Georgie is his favorite potato spud, he'll let you know by giving you a thumbs up.

One of Mr. Sunshine's favorite games is Hide and Seek. Unfortunately, Mr. Sunshine has quite the circular shape and thus is unable to hide very well from prying eyes. Fortunately, the sunglasses came in handy to block out the blinding light of the camera flash when his best spud Georgie took his photo as proof positive that he won the game, because you know Georgie isn't the sharpest tool in the shed on most days, which of course makes him the perfect employee for his current employer

One of Mr. Sunshines's favorite sports is whale surfing. He likes surfing on this particular whale, which he gives his whole hearted approval on. Mr. Sunshine would like to point out the various items that you can see through the back window. The planter is a scrawny little thing and very rarely is it healthy during the spring and summer. The small plot of land that you see surrounded by the crumbling wall has been in the same sorry state of disrepair since Mr. Sunshine's potato spud Georgie started working at this latest truck stop in 2006. That's 4 1/2 years of non-repair performed by another state agency who is notorious for having 17 people on a job site of which 14 are supervising and 3 are "working". D'oh!!

And finally, we come to another one of Mr. Sunshine's favorite pastimes, hanging ten on the police tape. Mr. Sunshines's best potato spud Georgie would like to point out that this big fancy schmancy metallic object that Mr. Sunshine is currently hanging ten on, is a metal detector. This was installed shortly after the state of Connecticut suffered a modified version of going postal when a employee of the Connecticut Lottery Corporation snapped and murdered four of his coworkers before killing himself. Unfortunately, just like everything else the state purchases, this was purchased without the appropriate software, so in essence, this building has two giant metal detectors that cost over $200K gathering dust and taking up space.

On that note, Mr. Sunshine and his best potato spud Georgie (not to be confused with the lunatic called Sweet Potato that harasses people in the chat rooms) will not only talk to you tomorrow but talk to ya later.

Furlough Weekend (4)

Here we is today, at part 4 of our tidy little series called Furlough Weekend. Shall we begin at the beginning? Damn, even got stale cliches at this blog as well.

This is the road that leads to the campground. As you can see, the thing is 100% rocks and gravel. Great for destroy tires and the undercarriages of cars. Also great for getting stuck in the side should you be foolhardy enough to make room for someone to go by.

This was more of a drive by shot than anything else. That blurry sculpture belongs to that blurred image of a local art gallery. The yard itself contains a few funky steel oriented sculptures and the gallery is housed in a converted barn, I think. The reason as to why I sound so unsure is that for the past several years, I've never really paid any attention to the actual building, only the sculptures in the front yard. This art (or sculpture gallery, I guess) is the first thing you see when you make a quick right after that farm from the previous week's post.

I'm pretty sure I took this shot on the weekend. Not sure whether it was Saturday or Sunday, but apparently I was sitting in my favorite summertime writing spot in the backyard sometime in the late afternoon or early evening when this shot presented itself to me. The reason as to why I can narrow down the time is that the sun often doesn't hit my side of the street until after 3p. Gotta admit though, it really is a fantastic shot of the sun weaving its way through the trees.

Another shot of the front bay window with all the stuffed aminals looking quite forlorn.

Sometime ago, I showed you a shot of what my cubicle was like. I would dig it out for a comparison, but frankly, I'm wasn't in the mood to go wondering through my Picassa Web gallery to find it. Anyways, back in April, the person who had this cube retired and because it is a window cube (highly desirable real estate), it was offered to the person with the most seniority left in the unit. Since he didn't want it (mostly because his current cube allowed him to be closer to upper management), it was offered to the next person in line: me. This is only a temporary home as whoever gets to be a supervisor in the unit will get this cubicle, but until then, its all MINE. Anyways, it took me less then three days to move all of my stuff in, which considering how much crap I really accumulated in the past four years is quite remarkable.

And finally, the obligatory bird in the birdbath shot, taken in conjunction with the obligatory shot of the car.

Furlough Weekend (3)

And thus, we begin at the exact center of the picture series, part three of five. You could call it "3" but this isn't STTNG nor am I Locutus. Anywho, please enjoy the view.

This particular picture was taken at one of the local farms that dot the surrounding rural countryside where the campsite is located. Yup, in this fascinating little town called Litchfield, you have farms side by side with $400K houses, a wonderful 18 hole golf course, and a couple of wineries (this winery I believe is the one that we drive by all the time) are nestled in here as well. Anyways, it was a gorgeous Friday afternoon as you can see and the atmosphere was just about perfect. No, there weren't any cows to speak off, as this particular farm specializes in horses and corn. As a matter of fact, the particular farm in the early fall has, you guessed it, a big fat corn maze and a Great Pumpkin Patch.

Another shot of the same farm. I took two because I wanted to make sure that I got it right in the first place. The story behind this and previous shot is quite interesting. The road that I took this shot from is pretty much the width of two cars plus a couple of feet. In order to take this shot without getting clipped, I had to pull over to the side and make sure I didn't go into the drainage ditch, then I opened the door and stood on the seat and runner to get this shot. I would sat that I used the door to balance myself, but a key bolt that normally holds the door in place once you open it part of the way was gone, so I had to have my wife grab hold of my leg to make sure I didn't fall over.

This was shot was taken at one of the side roads that dot the area where we were driving. Most of the side roads are this funky mix of gravel and tar and no curbs to speak off. I took this one because I wanted to give everyone a good idea of what kind of rural is mixed in with the suburbia that is Litchfield. And just like the previous one, I stood on the runner and seat to take this picture.

This is looking down the road we were driving on just moments ago. As you can see, the width of the road is about two car lengths and its incredibly winding and scenic.

The entrance to the campground called Hemlock Hills. Mother dearest has her RV stored up here (season passes start at $2K) and about 96% of the clientele are long termers, which is what this campground specializes in. It's open from about April thru mid-October, and in the winter time, the roads leading into are closed. You can tell when you're in the general proximity of the campground because regular road that you travel on to get there instantly changes at the entrance to road that is about as wide as your car and 100% dirt with enough of drop off on either side to get stuck for hours on end (mother dearest got her RV stuck for five hours or so). Anyways, the kids love it, mother loves it, and Joanne, well...lets just say that in keeping with what I've been bitchin' about behind the scenes and what occasionally makes it to this blog and Facebook about certain aspects of my life, she feels roughly the same way about that campground. Sort of a love/despise relationship you might say.

Furlough Weekend (2)

So here we are for part two of the incredibly depressing and financially devastating July 4th Furlough weekend. Won't you come join for a moment of the cool refreshing detachment known as "the unreality check"?

This picture was taken on the way back from the credit union. I had walked all the way to Burger King (about 3 1/4 miles or so) in about an hour and a half and took a brief pit stop to scarf down a soda and make a call to the wife for something. After refreshing my palate, I tripped over to the credit union where I joined about a dozen other fellow co-workers who were doing the same thing as I was (bitchin', moanin', groanin' and commiserating) that day. After I'd gotten my money and spent about five minutes playing hopscotch across eight lanes of highway, I continued on my journey back home, this time taking a ton of side roads. This picture was the only one I took walking down the side road because I was carrying to much crap that day and it would've been to much a problem to drop my stuff, take out my camera, take a shot, put my camera away and pick up my schtuff. The main focus of this shot (such as it was) was the floral arrangement around the mailbox.

Again, one of my favorite subjects to shoot: Keeny Manufacturing. This time it was that old standby, the water sculptures. Some twenty minutes after I took this shot, I stopped at Subway for lunch, which I ate in the center of town on the local green. That particular stop was last of two occasions (Burger King was the first) of the first half of my day that I actually sat. So basically from about 8:30a through 1:30p I was on my feet doing foot patrol. Don't worry, it doesn't get any better.

About twice a month I frequently walk all the way down Main Street before turning down a side road to go home. This shot of my finger with the nifty landscaping in the background was taken on one of the many side streets that dot my neighborhood. The landscaping on this street is quite interesting and this was the best of the bunch. Unfortunately, my thumb/finger thought otherwise.

Remember I said it doesn't get any better? Well, it don't. Shortly after I got home (like 15 minutes) I had to drive to Litchfield and drop off my wife at the campsite. So here I am, driving in a car after spending about 4 1/2 very hard and very tiring hours walking (keep in mind that yours truly has muscle weakness in his legs and walks in order to maintain the status quo). Anyways, this shot was taken by the wife as I was driving up route 118 in Litchfield. This section of roadway is located about three minutes from route 8 and about a half hour from that ever popular Lourdes In Litchfield.

This shot was again taken by the wife as I was driving through the mountains of Litchfield. In all honesty, the picture really doesn't do the view justice, especially that day, because even though I was dog tired that day, the view driving up this particular section of 118 was incredible. And yes, this was the view that inspired me to write a short story based on the 23rd Psalms.

This monument is on the town green (or at least for this section of town) that is found at the intersection of US 202 and CT 63 in historic Litchfield CT. This particular green was (and still is to a degree) known for anti-war protests that were held protesting the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I will admit that for the most part, even though I didn't agree with the protests, they were very orderly and didn't disrupt the flow of traffic. For those of you who are music aficionados, Litchfield is the home of the prestigious Jazz Festival.

Furlough Weekend

Welcome to the humdrum life of a state employee. Come with me on a journey of enlightenment where we explore what its like to spend a day out of work on our own dime, because the powers that be in state guv'ment decreed that (at least for me) the other eighteen thousand three hundred ninety-nine dimes and one nickel with three cents should be given back so as to help COUGH! COUGH! balance the budget.

Anywho, this entire series of posts, which will be spanning five weeks, was taken over the course of the July 4th weekend. Scratch that, it was taken on July 2nd through July 6th (which is when I got back to work). So we shall begin at the beginning.

Oh, did I mention that I was stupidly carrying a folder of blank paper and a notebook filled with my latest story that day? So not only was I carrying the camera, I was prior to the squirrel pics, carrying a folder of blank paper, a notebook, a bottle water and a bag of chips.

This and the following pics were taken on Friday morning during my now legendary 8+ mile walk to the credit union (which I started at around 8:30) and back (mapquest stated that the driving route was 2.3 miles but the walking route that I took was at least an extra .8 of a mile). Anyways, this little statue of a fireman (with a functional fire hose I might add), is located directly behind the old firehouse that was featured in this post. The main reason as to why I took this picture is simple: I needed to find out once and for all, which picture was numero uno once my disposable camera got developed. Turns out that number 27 on the picture disc is numero uno.

You'll have to enlarge this picture to see the squirrel standing on the hill just to the right of the tree. He was gathering nuts (I think) and was taking a breather underneath the shady portion of the tree (it was in the lo 90's I believe). Very rarely do I get the opportunity to get this up close and personal to a squirrel, so of the opportunity did I take advantage thereof.

Another view of the same squirrel, and let me tell you, I took full advantage of that particular section of shade. As a matter of fact, I was very fortunate that my entire route of Main Street was shady that day, because it got to be hotter than frying pan that day.

Traffic was incredibly heavy that Friday morning (trust me, the phrase "playing in traffic" was the topic of choice that day), so after dodging all kinds of cars, I crossed the street to the local firehouse to take this picture of a old fashioned fire hose/fire truck memorial.

If you enlarge the picture, you'll see that its a memorial dedicated to those volunteer firemen who made the supreme sacrifice. And yes, that shadow at the bottom is me, which is due to the fact that I wanted to get a detailed shot of the memorial plaque, thus I had to get up close and personal.

Places & Aminals (4)

While I was preparing and putting together this post with the new and improved Blogger editor (which in my opinion sucks for this type of blog) I remembered that the pictures from the last post and this post were actually taken during a very rare lunch date with the wife back in late April. I took a half day off from work and spent that Thursday having lunch and taking a walk through the park with my wife. So, without further ado, the final installment of Places and Aminals.

This was taken right after we finished interrupting the ducks from the previous post. This is the waterfalls as seen from the bridge. Note the fact that there's actually water flowing down the falls, because most of the summer was spent in non-rainy bright sunshiny days. In other words, drought-like conditions that have not only spawned a few water conservation warnings going into autumn, but has caused autumn to appear earlier than normal.

In this shot, the pond is rare form and yes in the background, that is the man-made fountain that helps keep the pond relatively full (although for the past couple of months it has not been used heavily due to the water restrictions, so about 75% of the pond is covered in green algae). In any event, it was a gorgeously sunny late afternoon day, perfect for taking a casual stroll around the pond and the park.

This shot gives you a better view of what the water fountain that keeps the pond full looks like. In the foreground is what the extent of algae content usually looks like in the pond. Fascinating reflection of the trees in the pond, don't you think?

This shot was taken while we were sitting at a table in the infamous kiddie area of the playground. We (the wife and I) decided to take a short breather before going home, so we took a seat at one of the tables. Well the breeze that was blowing through was through the playground was so invigorating that I leaned back and pointed the camera up. The end result is what you see here.

This is the back, or rather the only, parking lot to Mill Pond Park. As you can see, it's nicely landscaped by our local Parks & Rec department. In the far background, you can see the infamous kiddie playscape. To the right is where we parked. Lots of shade and less than a dozen cars made it incredibly easy to find a choice parking space.

My cat Holly. On the move or on the prowl, it was one of the few non-posed photos that I've been able to get of her over the past few years.

Another action shot of Holly, peeking out from around the corner of the stairs and from the messy dining room. Not sure what she was looking at, but it definitely wasn't me. The wooden rail that you see is actually from the back deck. My brother (and mother) have a nasty habit of bringing outdoor things inside for no other reason than to stupidly clutter up the house.

Places & Aminals (3)

Well now, after a one week hiatus, I'm back in the saddle again and boring everyone to tears with my ventures into cliche land. So without further adieu, we begin at the late middle of Places & Aminals.

Continuing our journey through the local cemetery where my dad is currently residing at, this photo is the front version of the distance shot you saw in the post of two weeks ago. I wasn't able to get to the cemetery this past weekend for research purposes, but from what I remember last time, this memorial is dedicated to all the local men and woman who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and the flags are from all branches of the service. The empty flag pole that you see wasn't empty, but I simply couldn't get any further back for the shot without disrespecting the other people who are interred there as well.

Back to the duck. However, this wasn't taken in my backyard, but in fact was taken at Mill Pond Park. The park has a very large contingent of ducks and Canadian geese and in fact are quite brazen when they're on the land. I should add that they have absolutely no fear of people, which is why I was able to get such extreme close ups with this and the remaining pictures.

Like I said, with an extremely large population of Canadian geese that call Mill Pond Park their home. How large? How does an entire baseball field plus the outfield and foul line to foul line obliterated by geese grab ya? Anyways, these geese have no fear of humans either, as you can see from this particular shot. The short path that you see heading into the bushes leads right into the pond, where there is a bench that you can sit and fish from. In between the adults is a small flock of baby geese, which you can see more clearly in the next shot. Oh and the main pathway we're on takes you around the perimeter of the pond and over the waterfalls.

Same spot, except I'm shooting this from the left hand side of the path. You can see about a dozen baby geese along with the three adults in the foreground and a slighter large flock in the back.

Like I said, absolutely no fear of humans. I was able to get within ten feet of them for this shot. Fortunately, I was able to avoid the one thing that plagues this park nine months out of the year: doo-doo.

Got within three feet for this shot. You can see the pool and the pond in the background.

Same thing with this one, got within three feet for this shot. I think this is the same flock from earlier. A few adults and a dozen or so babies. In the background is the local soccer field and where this shot was taken, is the staging area for the town's Extravaganza that was used as a background for one of my short stories.

Places & Animals (2)

This post will contain a personal mini-trip down memory lane for me, but overall this post should be experienced in the same context that it was written.


Yes, you are seeing cows for the first three pictures. We have a couple of working farms here in Newington. The one that owns the cows, is called the Eddy Farm, and is one of the oldest working farms in Connecticut, having come into existence in the mid 18th century. If you click on the link, you can learn more information about this important piece of local agricultural history. Also if you're in the area, during the summer months the farm sells fresh produce at a stand located about three hundred years from where I took these photos.

Anyways, the story on how I came about to taking pics of these cows (considering where the grazing field is located) is quite interesting. I had taken a rare half day off from work and I was on my way to having lunch on the Turnpike, when I spotted about a dozen cows or so grazing in the field. So, I pulled my car way over to the side of the road (because I was on a busy thoroughfare), threw it into park, rolled my window down and slid over to the passenger seat and took a few pictures of the cows.

A little background as to where this field is located. Deep in the background of the second picture you can see the farm, and off to the left of the first and third picture, you can just make out the out of bounds area for the local private golf course. Yup, the local country club is located next door to the farm. Directly behind me is the softball/soccer fields, which double as the launch site for the July 4th fireworks.

And now, the mini-trip down memory lane. The next four photographs were taken on the same day and within an hour of so after the cows. The location is the town cemetery, which is bordered by the high school, a senior citizens complex and the Kellogg-Eddy house (original owners of the farm and important local people in the 17th & 18th century). The gravestone is of my dad, Professor George B. Miller, Sr., who passed away in July 2004.

I now present to you, a brief explanation of what you're seeing in these three photos of my dad's marker. First off, the wooden statue contains a metal carving of the local Masonic Lodge (Stratford CT) that my dad was a member of while he was alive. The two flags that you see there (US and Stars & Bars) are not the original that were put there in '04. While the US flag has been the same over the years, the other flag was originally the country of Jamaica, because that country became his second home while he was alive. The Stars & Bars popped up as a replacement in 2008 after a trip to the Civil War museum in Harrisburg PA. The cross is from the local Palm Sunday celebration at the Catholic church located across from the cemetery entrance.

In this shot, you can see some of the details of the two flags that were carved into the headstone. Main reason why even though my dad passed away in July, his ashes weren't interred until November (the weather on that November day was very much like the weather you see in these photos). The other carving of the house with the heart and arms, signifies that we welcomed people into our house with open arms and open hearts. And of course, the plot is perfectly located under the shadiest tree in the cemetery.

This is the shot of the roadway looking east. You can see some of the gravestones and some of the displays just off to the right. Some of the displays are truly poignant and have moved me in ways that I don't feel comfortable in describing. The flagpole that you see in the distance is to a memorial that I will go over in greater detail next week, as the next batch of photos lead off with that memorial.

Places & Animals (1)

This latest series of photographs (the usual four week montage) involves mostly animals and places. Some of the animals might be considered unusual for this part of the state, but rest assured, Connecticut does have more than its fair share of functioning farms, which are quite often heavily featured in our local metropolitan newspapers. And a couple of the places that you'll be seeing, should be experienced with a trip down the back roads of your memories. So, in the immortal words of John Cleese, "Let's begin at the beginning!"

One quick note: All shots were taken in early part of May. I know this because I had this CD developed on May 23rd.

Continuing on a theme from the last series, we are visiting with Mr. & Mrs Duck today. It was a gloriously sunny late afternoon in G's backyard when Mr. & Mrs Duck decided to stop by for another visit. Before beginning their visit, they decided to sit a spell and catch a few rays and work on their tan. They lounged about for a while, checking out the storage shed, the old pool deck, a crab apple tree and a blueberry bush.

Once they got done working on their tan, they got up and began strolling to the back porch. The Mr. was still enjoying the late afternoon sun, but after becoming just a little bit too toasted for his own good, he decided to rest for a spell in one of the many large shadows that populated the backyard.

The misses however, was a bit hungry, so she came in a little closer looking for some of the appetizers that the backyard was offering. In addition to feeling a little peckish, she was also feeling a little overheated, so she decided to take advantage of the cool shadows that the late afternoon sun was offering as well.

The mister finished his brief nap and came looking for some taste nuggets of food as well. However, the second he started looking, a lonely little miss quacked suggestively in his direction. Intrigued, he turned to the right and started to style and profile.

Miffed, the misses took flight to the pond located in the far corner of the backyard. The mister, suddenly worried about the possibility of the misses kicking him out of the nest, flew to the pond and dived right in, and began doing the lovey-dovey groveling that all male species have imprinted in their genes.

Eventually, the misses took his apology for what it was worth, and began cultivating a nice soft spot on the ground, where the cool mountain breeze would caress her...ummm....her....well, I think we should leave the happy amorous couple to their own devices here and...ummm....ummm...say, I do believe that I hear my cat calling for me.

"Coming Mother!!!"